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TRAVEL BRIEFS: 7-28 to 8-3

Tuesday, July 29, 2008 7:31 PM CDT

Items on distinctive destinations; passport cards; ethical travel; kid-friendly airports; Gettysburg bluegrass festival; new World Heritage sites; Central Park exhibit; Minnesota Zoo; pet survey; rubber ducky fest

Nominations sought for Dozen Distinctive Destinations

WASHINGTON (AP) — Is your hometown or favorite place a distinctive destination?

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is now accepting nominations for its 2009 "Dozen Distinctive Destinations" awards. The organization looks for communities that offer unusual cultural and recreational experiences, along with a commitment to historic preservation. Interesting architecture, cultural diversity, authenticity and vibrant downtowns are also part of the mix sought.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has been bestowing the awards since 2000. To date, there are 108 Distinctive Destinations in 42 states.

Nominations are open to Convention and Visitors Bureaus and Chambers of Commerce across the country. Individuals are encouraged to contact local tourism organizations to suggest that their towns be nominated. There is a $150 nomination fee.

Completed applications, which must include images and letters of support, must be in by Aug. 29,

For more information, visit http://www.PreservationNation.org/.

Passport cards recommended for U.S. travelers who drive to Canada, Mexico

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department's new passport cards, which are wallet-sized identification cards designed to speed border crossings by U.S. citizens to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, are proving popular already.

More than 350,000 Americans have pre-ordered the passport cards, according to the State Department.

The card is not valid for any type of air travel. It can only be used for land and sea crossings between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or the Caribbean.

Beginning in June 2009, travelers will be required to present documents proving both citizenship and identity when entering the U.S. through a land or sea border. For Americans who drive to Canada or Mexico or cruise regularly to the Caribbean, but who do not expect to fly abroad, the passport card is a cheaper, smaller, more portable alternative to a conventional passport book.

It is the size of a credit card or driver's license, and has a photo and identification information printed on it, like a driver's license. It also contains a chip with a random number that allows border officials to instantly retrieve your data.

"When you come to the border, hold your card up to your window, and on the border patrol screen, up will pop your name, your picture, the fact that you are a U.S. citizen, and the number of your card. They'll peek in to see if you're the same person, and speed you on your way," said Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Passport Services Brenda Sprague in a phone interview with The Associated Press.

"If you live in a border community and you regularly go back and forth across the border, whether it's many times a week or many times a month or several times a year, the passport card makes sense," she added.

Passport cards are good for 10 years and cost $45 ($35 for children under 16). Applications can be made at any passport-processing site. If you already have a passport but want the card anyway because of the convenient size or quick scanning, it's only $20 and can be ordered by mail.

For details on how and where to get a passport card, visit http://www.travel.state.gov.

More than 7,600 cards have already been mailed out to customers who pre-ordered the cards. All existing orders are expected to be filled by Sept. 30. New applications will take about four weeks to process.

Group publishes list of top 10 'ethical destinations' in developing world

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — In an effort to get travelers off the beaten path and support destinations in developing countries, a group called Ethical Traveler has published a list of the "10 best ethical destinations."

The organization said in a statement that many countries "are making noble attempts to preserve their natural assets, create a user-friendly infrastructure, and build an economy where their citizens share the benefits of tourist revenue. By bringing our commerce to such places we encourage their efforts, and inspire neighboring countries to support these values as well."

To create the list, Ethical Traveler looked at environmental protection, social welfare and human rights in the world's developing nations. The honorees on the Ethical Traveler's list, in alphabetical order, are Argentina, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Estonia, Namibia, Nicaragua, and South Africa.

The organization used various resources to make the determinations, including data collected by the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy and Columbia University's Center for International Earth Science Information Network; progress made by countries in reducing infant mortality rates as measured by UNICEF; and reports on civil liberties and human rights from sources like Amnesty International and Freedom House.

For more details, visit http://www.ethicaltraveler.org.

Believe it or not, some airports have fun things for kids to do while waiting

NEW YORK (AP) — Stuck in an airport with kids? Your wait time might not be as dreadful as you fear.

Cheapflights.com has compiled the "Kids' Airport Diversion Guide," listing play areas and onsite aviation museums to keep your children occupied until boarding time. To find the complete list, go to http://www.Cheapflights.com and scroll down the righthand side to the section titled "2008 Kids' Airport Diversion Guide," then click on the link. Here are some highlights.

At Baltimore/Washington International, the main terminal has a children's play area in the Observation Gallery. Cheapflights calls it a "one-of-a-kind place" with "an array of airplane parts: a wing, tail, wheels, even part of a fuselage" and other play equipment.

Boston Logan International has a Kidport in Terminal C, the departure level of the main terminal, with "hands-on interactive exhibits" including an airplane-climbing sculpture and a baggage-claim slide.

Chicago O'Hare International has a "Kids on the Fly" exhibit organized by the Chicago Children's Museum, in Terminal 2, with an air traffic control tower, a fantasy helicopter and luggage station.

At Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International, you'll find a Kidsport at the top of the escalator in Concourse A, with miniature buildings to explore.

Cheapflights.com calls Dallas/Fort Worth International "one of the most innovatively kid-friendly airports around," with three "Junior Flyer Clubs" in Terminal B at Gate 12, Terminal C at Gate 14 and in International Terminal D at Gate D-30, where kids can play on their own runways, roadways, cars and planes.

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport has seven play areas in the McNamara Terminal in Concourses A, B and C. At Las Vegas McCarran, there's an aviation-themed play area on the second floor of the D Concourse, with a mini-control tower and tunnel, and an aviation museum on Level 2 above baggage claim.

At Miami International, Gate 35 on the D Concourse has a children's recreation area. At Minneapolis/St. Paul International, you'll find play areas in the Lindbergh and Humphrey terminals. At Milwaukee Mitchell International, you'll find the Mitchell Gallery of Flight, and at Nashville International, there is live music on three stages and a children's play area in the Concourse Connector. At Portland International Airport in Oregon (PDX), near the checkpoint for Concourses D and E, there is a multicolored jungle gym, and a play area post-security on C Concourse.

In Phoenix, there are play areas in Terminal 2's upper concourse, Terminal 3's concourses and Terminal 4's International Concourse, near Gates B15-28. Salt Lake City boasts play areas in concourses A, B and E. San Francisco's airport has a free aviation museum in the new International Airport, and an SFO Kids' Spot in Terminal 3, Boarding Area F, near Gate 87A. At Seattle/Tacoma airport, Alaska Airlines has opened a play area near the Central Terminal with aviation-themed equipment.

Bluegrass festival in Gettysburg, Aug. 21-24

GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gettysburg is hosting an annual bluegrass festival not far from the historic battlefield.

The festival at the Granite Hill Camping Resort takes place Aug. 21-24, with more than 20 scheduled acts, including The Grascals, Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, and Seldom Scene.

Prices range from $20 Sunday-only advance tickets to $125 four-day admission at the gate. Fees for RV and tent campsites and hookups are additional. Discounted ticket prices are in effect until Aug. 14.

The festival provides no chairs, so bring your own. Blankets and lounge chairs are only allowed near the back or sides of the seating area.

The event will also include a Martin guitar raffle and a bluegrass academy where children from kindergarten through 12 years of age can learn to play instruments. Tuition is $25 but space is limited.

Details at http://www.gettysburgbluegrass.com.

UNESCO adds 19 cultural sites and 8 natural sites to World Heritage List

QUEBEC CITY, Canada (AP) — Baha'i holy places in Israel, the Monarch butterfly biosphere reserve of Mexico, and the historic center of Camaguey, a Spanish colonial town in Cuba first settled in 1528, are among the new sites added to the UNESCO World Heritage list.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee met in July in Quebec City to add the 19 cultural sites and eight natural sites to the list, which now numbers 878 sites in 145 countries. Detailed information about each site is available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/453.

In Mexico, in addition to the butterfly reserve, the fortified town of San Miguel and the Sanctuary of Jesus Nazareno de Atotonilco, cited for their architecture, were added to the list.

In Europe, new UNESCO World Heritage sites are the ancient stone walls, shelters and landscape of Stari Grad on the Adriatic island of Hvar in Croatia; 17th century fortifications along the borders of France; innovatively designed Modernist housing in Berlin, dating from 1910-1933; the Italian towns of Mantua and Sabbioneta, cited for architecture and their role in Renaissance culture; eight wooden churches dating to the 16th through 18th centuries in Slovakia; the Rhaetian Railway, which includes two historic railway lines in Italy and Switzerland that cross the Alps; and Mount Titano and the historic center of San Marino, which dates to the 13th century.

In Asia and the South Pacific, new sites added to the World Heritage list are Cambodia's Temple of Preah Vihear; the "tulou" of China's Fujian province, which are circular communal earthen houses; Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca in Malaysia, cited for their unique multicultural heritage as trading sites between Asia and Europe; the Kuk swamps in New Guinea, which contain archaeological evidence of thousands of years of farming, and three sites on islands in Vanuatu associated with a 17th century chief, Roi Mata.

In the Middle East, the World Heritage list now includes, in Iran, the Armenian monasteries of St. Thaddeus and St. Stepanos and the Chapel of Dzordzor; Al-Hijr, Saudi Arabia's first World Heritage property, an archaeological site preserving Nabataean civilization dating to the 1st century B.C., and the Socotra islands in Yemen, cited for their biodiversity.

In Africa, Kenya's Mijikenda Kaya Forests were recognized for the remains of fortified villages dating back centuries that are now considered sacred sites, and Le Morne, a mountain on the coast of Mauritius, included for its history as a shelter for runaway slaves.

Natural properties added to the UNESCO list, in addition to the Mexico butterfly reserve, are Canada's Joggins Fossil Cliffs, a fossil-rich area of Nova Scotia; China's Mount Sanqingshan National Park, noted for its scenic landscape and "fantastically shaped" granite peaks and pillars; the coral reefs and lagoons of New Caledonia; Surtsey, an island in Iceland formed by volcanic eruptions in the 1960s that is a pristine laboratory for plant and animal life; two nature reserves in the steppe and lakes of Northern Kazakhstan; and a geologically significant mountainous area of Switzerland known as the Glarus Overthrust.

Spaceship-like Chanel exhibition to land in NY's Central Park

NEW YORK (AP) — A spaceship-like pavilion crammed with original artwork will land in New York's Central Park this fall. It's the latest stop in a worldwide advertising blitz by Chanel to pay homage to its iconic quilted handbag.

Renowned London architect Zaha Hadid was commissioned to create the 7,500-square-foot structure made of lightweight panels and fitted like a jigsaw puzzle.

Organizers say the pavilion is like a handbag, "a completely portable and functional container."

It will house works by 15 contemporary artists who were asked to use the classic handbag — first designed in 1955 — as a "jumping off point" for their self-expression.

The exhibition, entitled Mobile Art, was conceived by fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. It will run from Oct. 20 to Nov. 9.

Details at http://www.chanel-mobileart.com.

Rare fisher kits on display at Minnesota Zoo

APPLE VALLEY, Minn. (AP) — Three rare fisher kits born at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley, about 20 miles south of Minneapolis, are now on display.

The animals, which resemble weasels, were nearly extinct because of trapping and logging practices but are now doing well in mixed wooded and heavily forested areas.

The kits two males and one female were born March 23. Fishers are known for tree-climbing, hunting and agility.

The Minnesota Zoo is one of just four nationally accredited zoos to exhibit fishers and the only one where offspring have been produced in the past three years.

Top pet hotels, according to TripAdvisor.com

NEWTON, Mass. (AP) — TripAdvisor.com has come up with a list of the top 10 pet-friendly hotels, based on reviews by readers and editors of the Web site.

Topping the list was the Gazebo Inn Ogunquit, in Ogunquit, Maine (average nightly rate, $164). Next was the TierraLinda Bed and Breakfast, Galena, Ill. (average nightly rate, $135) followed by the Sleepy Dog Guest House, Bisbee, Ariz. (average nightly rate, $95)

Next were the Spruce Moose Lodge and Cottages, North Conway, N.H. (average nightly rate, $124) and the Brittania and W.E. Mauger Estate Bed and Breakfast, Albuquerque, N.M. ($127).

The Best Western Cavalier Oceanfront Resort, San Simeon, Calif. ($210) followed, with La Quinta Inn and Suites Madison American Center, Madison, Wis. ($124) next in line.

Rounding off the top 10 were the Hotel Marlowe, Cambridge, Mass. ($316), Hotel Monaco, Denver ($289) and the Paw House Inn, West Rutland, Vt. ($225).

Rubber ducky, this town loves you

BELLAIRE, Mich. (AP) — Jazz festivals, wine festivals and food festivals are a dime a dozen. But a rubber ducky festival? Now that's worth quacking about.

The village of Bellaire in Northern Michigan is holding its Rubber Ducky Festival, Aug. 6-17, including a quarter-mile race on Aug. 16 in which 2,000 yellow ducks float along the Intermediate River.

Spectators can bet $5 apiece on the ducks, which are numbered. First place winner gets $500, with cash prizes all the way down to 27th place.

Many local towns have duck races like this on their rivers to raise money for local causes, but Bellaire's race is just one part of a ducky extravaganza with concerts, children's activities, entertainment, sidewalk sales, parades and other funky competitions, from a belt sander race to "the world's second-longest coffee break."

Bellaire is also home to ski and golf resorts at Shanty Creek and Hawk's Eye. It offers skiing and snowmobiling in winter, birding and mushrooming in spring, golf and fishing in summer, and hunting and leaf-peeping in fall. The town is about a half-hour from Traverse City. Lodgings include the Lakeview Hotel & Conference Center, Stone Waters Inn, Applesauce Inn Bed & Breakfast and the All Seasons Motel.

For a full schedule of events, call the Bellaire Chamber of Commerce at 231-533-6023 or learn more about the area at http://www.VisitTraverseCity.com.